Mayor's Message 9 August, 2024
Hi everyone,
We always welcome an opportunity to put our best foot forward and showcase to our community and beyond some of the incredible work we do.
This week, we’ve done exactly that with the opening of three fantastic community facilities/assets all made possible by our ability to attract grant funding and through positive and productive working relationships with our community.
As you’ll see further in this edition of YOUR INDIGO, we opened the new Chiltern Tennis Courts, the Barnawartha Netball and Tennis Courts and the Beechworth to Yackandandah Rail Trail.
We were extremely fortunate to be joined by State Government Minister, Ros Spence, responsible for Community Sport, Agriculture and Carers and Volunteers and also Attorney General and Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes.
Minister Spence had very kind works to say about our Shire and spoke of the huge community benefits the new courts will have, not only through increased participation, but also encouraging social cohesion, saying sporting clubs are often the heart of a small community.
Minister Symes, who opened the 32km rail trail was glowing in her praise of Council for its vision, tenacity in lobbying for grant funding and in completing what she described as world-class cycling infrastructure.
She said the opening of Beechworth to Yackandandah section, which is an extension of the 180km Murray to Mountains rail trail, will bring even more people to regional Victoria, generating an additional $3.1M in visitor expenditure each year.
I was thrilled that members of the rail trail community reference group attended the opening, and special mention must go to Graham Brown who stole the show with his entertaining speech. He had the crowd in stitches as he shared stories of his own cycling adventures, describing this trail on a par with some of the best in Europe.
I’d also like to acknowledge all Council staff, both past and present who’ve played a part in the development of these new community assets. I think we can all be incredibly proud of what’s been achieved and now handed over to our community to enjoy.
On a sad note, I’d like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Tangambalanga man, Ian Bryant who tragically died in a car crash at Barnawartha earlier in the week.
Take care everyone.
Cr Sophie Price.